Welcome to the Center for Civic Engagement
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) identifies and cultivates opportunities for Rice students, faculty, and staff to engage the Houston community and the world through engaged scholarship, active service, and meaningful leadership. The CCE connects Rice faculty and students with each other and community partners.
The CCE supports four programs: the Center for Civic Research and Design, the Community Involvement Center, Leadership Rice, and the Office of Fellowships and Undergraduate Research.
The Center for Civic Research and Design facilitates and encourages faculty-supervised, undergraduate research, and design projects that are conducted in conjunction with a community partner and address issues of public concern. It provides opportunities for students to develop research skills, apply what they learn in the classroom to real world problems, and to effectively communicate their findings.
The Community Involvement Center develops a culture of service within the University, advocating community service and social responsibility for all members of the Rice community. The CIC acts as a clearinghouse of resources and referrals on community agencies, service opportunities, service-learning, and other means of public service. It strives to raise awareness of social issues for the University community. Finally, the CIC empowers students, faculty, and staff to become leaders in affecting social change at local, national, and international levels, and to develop a lifelong commitment to service.
Leadership Rice encourages and equips Rice students to obtain significant leadership roles. It seeks to develop civic-minded leaders for whom the practice of leadership represents a means of impacting their communities. Leadership Rice facilitates the exploration of essential leadership concepts and their application in modern society. The program also builds a network of students, alumni, and community partners who promote each other’s success.
The Office of Fellowships and Undergraduate Research serves as a campus-wide clearinghouse of national and international prestigious awards and research and design opportunities. OFUR promotes the opportunities available to Rice undergraduates, and mentors and equips students to successfully compete for these experiences. OFUR also coordinates programs such as the Century Scholars and the Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium (RURS) that enrich the undergraduate research experience.
Please explore our website to learn more about each of our exciting programs. We also invite you to visit the center on the second floor of the RMC (Ley Student Center). For additional information please contact us at cce@rice.edu or (713)348-2223.
Rice’s Community Bridges program, sponsored by Rice’s Center for Civic Engagement and the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, recently completed its inaugural year. The program combines academic coursework and active fieldwork in an effort to sustainably reduce poverty in Houston’s Fifth Ward neighborhood. Click here to check out the Rice News Video and learn more about this new program.